The Other Side of the Mirror
by YamadaHikari
Summary: Erza brought a mysterious object back from her S Class job. When Natsu touched the object, he was slowly pulled inside! To come back, he has to go through different challenges, even facing his greatest weakness. What will happen to the fire dragon slayer?
1. Chapter 1: The Arrival of the Mirror

**The Other Side of the Mirror**

**CHAPTER 1: The Arrival of the Mirror**

**DISCLAIMER:**  
Happy: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail or any of us characters!  
Natsu: Happy! What are you doing? It's not your screen time yet! *tries to drag Happy away*

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
Lucy: This story is set before the Tenroujima arc.  
Happy: Enjoy the story! And don't forget to review! Aye sir!

* * *

It was a regular day in the guild. Erza Scarlet had just arrived to the guild after a long journey for her S Class job which she went alone. It has been a long time since she last went for a S Class job. She couldn't ask her teammates to go with her since they weren't S Class wizards yet, although she did feel quite bad about it.

"Lucy!" Erza called, looking around. The guild was unusually empty. Usually, it was full of her guild mates talking loudly and drinking beer.

Lucy Heartfilia, her teammate, rushed towards her. "Erza! You're back! How was your job?"

"It was fine," Erza replied. "I need to talk to Master for a while. Can you take of this for me?" She pointed to a tall, rectangular shaped object, draped with a lavender coloured cloth.

"Sure," Lucy agreed. She looked at the object with curiosity. "But what is that, Erza?"

"I'll explain later," Erza told her. "I need to talk to Master about it. DO NOT let anyone else touch it." She warned, giving off a dangerous aura.

"O- OK," Lucy stuttered. Nobody ever dared to disagree with the invincible Titania._ I better take good care of it_, Lucy thought. _I don't want to get in trouble with Erza!_

A minute after Erza left, Natsu Dragneel and Happy the Exceed walked towards Lucy (or flew towards Lucy in Happy's case).

"Lucy! What's that thing next to you?" Natsu asked, while Happy flew around it.

"Careful!" Lucy warned. "It belongs to Erza!"

"Erza? So, she finally came back from her S Class job, huh? How mean of her, leaving us here while she went on a job alone. We're a team! Has she forgotten that?" Natsu frowned.

"But we're not in S Class," Lucy reminded him.

Happy lifted the cloth up from the object. "Oh look! It's a mirror!"

"Happy!" Lucy shouted. Then she lowered her voice, not wanting Erza to hear her. "Put it back. Erza will kill me if anyone touches it!"

Happy gave an innocent look. "But I'm not you..." he said in a mocking tone.

"Happy! That's evil!" Lucy wailed, horrified by the Exceed's statement. "We're teammates!"

Natsu was ignoring his teammates and was checking out the mirror Erza brought back. It looked very old, maybe even ancient. The frame of the mirror was very dusty, but the dragon slayer could tell that it was painted gold. There were some strange markings on the frame._ Are these words?_ Natsu wondered. If they were, they were written in some weird language Natsu couldn't understand. _Maybe they aren't words, _Natsu told himself. _Maybe it's some sort of design._

He stared at the mirror. At first, all he saw was his own reflection, which was normal. It was a mirror, what else could it show? Yet, what he saw gradually changed. A tiny ripple seemed to form on the mirror, as if the mirror was a pond. Then the ripple slowly got bigger and bigger, until he could no longer see his own reflection. Instead, he saw an image forming on the mirror. It was something red. Something big and grand. The image became clearer, and Natsu realised it was not 'something', but 'someone'.

It was Igneel.

Igneel, his foster father. Igneel, the fire dragon that taught him dragon slayer magic. Igneel, the red dragon that disappeared seven years ago. Igneel, whom Natsu missed so much.

The image of the dragon started moving. It was beckoning to Natsu, as if wanting Natsu to go into the world inside the mirror, the place where Igneel was. Natsu placed his hand on the surface of the mirror. He wanted to go where Igneel was, no matter how impossible it seemed. _Please, let me go in_, he thought.

All this time Lucy and Happy were busy arguing. They didn't notice what Natsu was doing. Suddenly, Happy turned to Natsu, wanting to ask for his opinion about his stand in his argument with Lucy. Then he saw Natsu's hand going into the mirror.

"NATSU!" he shouted, flying towards his best friend. "Lucy, look!"

Lucy rushed towards Natsu. "No!" she shouted, her eyes wide. "What's going on? Natsu, get your hand out of the mirror!"

Natsu didn't seem to hear either of them. The look in his eyes were determined. He wanted to find Igneel. Slowly, his arm was entering the mirror as well.

Lucy and Happy both tried to pull Natsu out, but it was no use. Natsu couldn't hear them, and he couldn't seem to move his own body. It was as if he had lost consciousness.

"Master! Mira! Erza! Somebody HELP!" Lucy yelled.

Mirajane Strauss came running to see what was going on, followed by her younger brother, Elfman. However, even with Mirajane and strong Elfman's help, they couldn't get Natsu out. The mirror was pulling him in.

Lucy was frantic. "Mira, where's Master and Erza?" she asked.

"They're at the back of the guild. I don't think they can hear us." Mirajane replied worriedly.

"What about the rest of the guild?" Lucy asked.

"They're probably on a job," Elfman answered.

"Why now?" Lucy and Happy exclaimed at the same time.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?" Master's loud voice boomed.

"Master!" Happy cried, fearing for his best friend's safety. "Please help Natsu!"

But it was too late. Natsu's whole body had already entered the mirror. The only thing they could do was stare at the mirror in horror.


	2. Chapter 2: Inside the Mirror

**Chapter 2: Inside the Mirror**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**:

Lucy: YamadaHikari would like to thank her readers for reading **The Other Side of the Mirror**, especially those who reviewed/ followed/ favourited! This is Chapter 2!

Erza: Lucy, what are you doing? Why didn't you take care of the mirror? *deadly aura*

Lucy: E-Erza! The story hasn't started yet!

**DISCLAIMER**:

Natsu: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail or any of us characters!

Erza: Natsu, aren't you supposed to be inside the mirror? *chases Natsu away*

Happy: Enjoy the story! Don't forget to review!

* * *

Natsu was pulled into the world inside the mysterious mirror Erza had brought back to the guild from her S Class job. He looked around in wonder. _I really did go into the mirror,_ he thought, smiling. _This is cool! _He studied his surroundings. He was standing next to a huge lake. The sky was a lovely shade of blue, without any traces of dark clouds. He could hear the chirping of birds on the surrounding trees, and some others that were much further away.

"Alright!" Natsu said cheerfully. "Time to search for Igneel!" _He should be here somewhere... _Natsu used his powerful senses to search for Igneel. It took quite some time before he could sense anything else. Then he sensed something familiar. It was Igneel's scent. It was unmistakable. He could never forget it.

"Got it!" the dragon slayer exclaimed. "Yo, Happy! Let's go!"

His face fell when he realised he could only hear the echoes of his voice around him. He looked around him again. It suddenly hit him.

There weren't any other people around, only him.

Happy and Lucy weren't with him.

Neither were any of his other guild mates.

Natsu felt like hitting himself. What was he doing? Why did he even try to enter the mirror?

Then he realised something else. Even if he found Igneel, could he even get out of this world? That hit him hard, like a meteor crashing into him.

"_Baka baka baka_!" He scolded himself.

Suddenly, a piece of paper floated down from the sky into Natsu's hand.

"What's this?" Natsu stared at the piece of paper suspiciously, then at the sky. Why did a piece of paper float down from the sky? What's with this world?

There was something written on the piece of paper, which Natsu read.

_Dear traveller,_

_Welcome to the World Inside the Mirror. You seem to have realised things are quite difficult here. So here's the thing: Finding Igneel or going back to your guild. You can only choose one. You have 30 seconds to decide._

Natsu stared into the sky. "Who are you?"

A timer appeared on the sky. 30 seconds, 29 seconds...

Finding Igneel was the reason he entered the mirror in the first place. Would choosing to return to the guild be giving up too early?

But was it really possible to find Igneel? It should be. Didn't he catch Igneel's scent? There was no way he could have mistaken that unforgettable scent.

Igneel... It could be his only chance to find him.

But to choose Igneel would mean that he had to lose his all his friends in Fairy Tail. They were his friends, his family.

10 seconds, 9 seconds, ...

Igneel, his foster father, or Fairy Tail, his guild? Natsu couldn't decide.

5 seconds, 4...

_Looks like I better make a decision now,_ Natsu thought._ But is this the only chance I have to find Igneel?_ It was quite unlike the reckless dragon slayer to think so seriously. Moments ago he would have done anything to find Igneel, but now... If he chose to find Igneel, he would never ever be able to see his guild mates again.

3... 2...

"Forgive me, Igneel," Natsu whispered. "But I can't live without my_ nakama_."

1...

The words "TIME'S UP!" appeared on the sky.

"I've decided," he announced loudly. "I choose to return to my guild."

* * *

Back in the guild, none of the wizards spoke. They were too shocked by what happened, too shocked to know what to do. Finally, Master Makarov broke the silence.

"Erza, what is this about?" Master demanded.

Erza walked towards them slowly. "This is an extra request from my S Class job." she said darkly.

"Why did you accept such a dangerous request?" Master asked.

"It's what I was trying to tell you just now, Master. The chief of the village I went to asked me for help. He said that his son has disappeared into the mirror. He wanted us to help him bring back his son." Erza explained.

Mirajane sighed. "Now we have to get both the the village chief's son and Natsu out."

Erza nodded, the turned to Lucy sternly. "Lucy, didn't I ask you to take care of it?"

"I'm sorry!" Lucy apologized. "I didn't know it was so dangerous. I just took my eyes of it for a while, and then Natsu's hand entered the mirror. I'm sorry!"

Erza frowned, then shook her head. "I apologise for not warning you about how dangerous it is, everyone. It's partly my fault." Erza said solemnly.

"Now, now," said Mirajane. "What's most important now is how we should get Natsu and the village chief's son out of the mirror. Any clues?"

Lucy carefully examined the mirror. Under all that dust, it was hard to search for clues. Then she noticed something unusual on the frame. "There're some strange markings on the frame. It's like an ancient writing." She announced.

"Writing?" Master echoed. "Then we'll need Levy to help us."

"Levy is on a job with Jet and Droy," Mirajane said sadly. "Looks like the only thing we can do is wait for them to return."

"Natsu, I hope you'll be alright..." Happy said softly.

* * *

In the World Inside the Mirror, an envelope fell from the sky. Natsu picked it up when it reached the ground. _This should be for me, _Natsu thought and opened it. Indeed, it was for him.

_Dear traveller,_

_You have made your decision to stop searching for Igneel and return to your guild. Returning to your guild is not easy. It will be a long journey. You will have to overcome many challenges on your way. __You will receive new directions once you complete a task._

_Your first task: **Get across the lake by boat.**_

_Good luck. _

_______P.S. For your journey, barter trade is necessary. In your envelope, you will find a fishing hook. _  


Natsu read the note skeptically. What were the challenges he was supposed to face?The task given to him was odd. 'Get across the lake by boat?' He didn't see a single boat around since he arrived. And what was 'barter trade'? He took out the fishing hook from the envelope and stared at it. It was an ordinary fishing hook. But why would he need a fishing hook for his journey?

_The ways of this world are so strange, _Natsu thought.

He looked at the lake. Where was the boat? Mist was forming at the end of the lake. The mist was spreading, and the sky slowly turned grey.

_I can't see much, _Natsu grumbled.

Then he saw something dark approaching from the mist.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S CORNER!**

YamadaHikari: Thank you for reading! Hope you all enjoyed Chapter 2 of** The Other Side of the Mirror.** If you've been wondering what 'barter trade' means, you'll find out soon in Chapter 3!


	3. Chapter 3: The First Task

Lucy: Welcome to Chapter 3 in **The Other Side of the Mirror**! YamadaHikari would like to thank you readers for reading/ reviewing/ following/ adding the story as a favorite!

Happy: Credits to **Ziaw **for Beta Reading this chapter! Thank you!

**DISCLAIMER:**

Gray: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail! She only owns the plot and some OCs. (e.g. "Cloak Boy")

Erza: Gray, why do you only turn up now? Have you been slacking? *murderous look*

Lucy: Enjoy the story! Please review!

Happy: Aye Sir!

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST TASK**

The dark figure was slowly moving closer towards Natsu. The mist was slowly clearing, and the dragon slayer saw that it was actually a person in a small boat. When the boat reached the end of the lake where Natsu was standing, the person stood up.

"Well, get on," said the person on the boat. It was a teenage boy's voice. He was wearing a dark blue, almost navy cloak, and his eyes covered by his spiky jet black hair.

"Get on?" Natsu echoed, staring at the boy.

"Of course. Isn't that your first task? "Get across the lake by boat." The boy quoted.

"Right." Natsu replied. He got on the boat quickly.

The moment he got on, Natsu realized the boat was rocking, and felt nauseous. "Oh no," He moaned. "This is a BOAT!"

"Of course it is," The boy stated impatiently. "What else can it be-" He was interrupted by Natsu vomiting into the lake. "Hey! Stop polluting the lake!" he protested.

"Sorry," Natsu apologized, face as pale as sheet. "I have motion sickness."

The dragon slayer felt a bit better after a while, and decided to start a conversation with the silent boy. "My name's Natsu. What's yours?"

The cloaked boy ignored him.

"Are you trapped in the mirror like me? How long has it been? Where did you come from?" Natsu bombarded him with questions.

"I do not understand your questions, traveller. I advise you to mind your own business here." The boy muttered. He had never been a patient person, even now. He could not tolerate such useless rambling and questioning. None of his passengers ever talked to him, and he liked it that way. Answering such questions wouldn't help anyone. It was useless. Utterly useless. Travellers should accept their fate of entering the Mirror.

Natsu suddenly felt nauseous again. "Troia..." he moaned, wishing that Wendy was here. Wendy Marvell was one of Natsu's guild mates, and the third dragon slayer to join Fairy Tail. Wendy was a Sky Dragon Slayer, and had great healing magic. She could have healed his motion sickness with Troia, one of her spells.

The cloaked boy was relieved that he was spared from more questioning. _This guy asks too much for his own good._ He thought, sighing.

After what felt like eternity to the Fairy Tail wizard, they finally reached the other end of the lake.

"We're here," the boy announced, looking at his passenger. "I hope you didn't expect it to be a free ride." he added.

Natsu stood up slowly, still feeling a bit giddy. "I have a fishing hook, if you want." he said, remembering what was inside the envelope. He gave it to the boy.

"Hmph," muttered the boy gruffly, accepting the fishing hook. "I'm never fishing here again, thanks to you. You can find your next direction nearby."

"You're pretty young," Natsu commented, carefully getting out of the boat. "Don't you want to go back?"

The boy pretended not to hear him and rowed his boat away._ So his name's Natsu, huh? I doubt he'll be able to make it, but I do hope he can get us out of here..._

* * *

Back in Fairy Tail, Gray Fullbuster arrived at the guild to find his guild mates gathered together in silence. Gray had never seen his guild like that. Not many of his guild mates were around. Nobody was talking, let alone chatting loudly and laughing like they always do. It was strange. Something must have happened.

"What's up?" He asked, wondering what was going on.

His guild mates turned to look at him, only to sigh.

"Oh, it's just Gray." Lucy said dejectedly.

"Yeah, it's me," replied Gray. "What's going on here?"

"Well," Erza began, but paused when she heard the footsteps of someone running towards the guild.

Everyone in the guild turned to look at the one who arrived. Short blue hair... Could it be?

"Gray-sama!"

Hearing that call, everyone's hopes were shattered. It was not the blue-haired bookworm, Levy McGarden, whom they were so anxiously waited for, but the blue-haired Juvia Lockser, who was now hugging the surprised and puzzled Gray.

"It's not Levy-chan..." Lucy said gloomily.

"Huh? Levy?" Juvia asked, quickly releasing Gray when she realized what she was doing. "Sorry, Gray-sama!" she said, blushing.

Erza quickly explained the situation to Gray and Juvia.

"Flamehead's gone into that mirror?" Gray asked in disbelief.

* * *

In the World inside the Mirror, Natsu was looking for his next directions.

_Where could it be?_ Natsu wondered._ Why couldn't Cloak Boy be more specific? What's with the mere 'nearby'? As if that could help._

There was no point asking the cloaked boy since he was too far away from Natsu. Natsu had dragon hearing, but the cloaked boy didn't. Even if he did, he would probably just ignore Natsu again. The boat was slowly disappearing into the forming mist, and then Natsu couldn't see it anymore.

Then he saw something that looked like a mailbox. What a weird location for a mailbox, Natsu thought, walking towards it. The mailbox looked pretty old and dirty, with faded red paint like looked nearly pink. _When was the last time someone used it? _Natsu wondered. The word '**DIRECTIONS**' was imprinted on the box.

"I found it!" Natsu cried happily. He found an envelope inside the mailbox. He opened it. It was a note.

_Task 2: __**Go to the forest.**_

_That's all?_ Natsu asked himself._ Just one line?_ Not even a "Dear traveller" salutation? How rude. He checked the envelope. Nothing else. There wasn't a fishing hook there this time. He opened the mailbox again. It was empty.

"I guess I'll just go to the forest then." The dragon slayer decided, walking towards the forest on his left.

When he entered the forest, Natsu just walked around aimlessly. "Go to the forest." It was such a vague instruction. Natsu had no proper directions, so he didn't know where to go. He walked around, trying to look for any mailboxes or people who were around.

Then he heard a voice.

"Excuse me, can you help me find my glasses?"

* * *

**AUTHOR'S CORNER:**

**YamadaHikar**i: Thank you for reading Chapter 3! Please continue to support The Other Side of the Mirror. Please review as well, they keep me motivated! :)


	4. Chapter 4: The Forest

Lucy: Welcome to Chapter 4 of **The Other Side of the Mirror**! YamadaHikari would like to thank all her readers for reading, especially those who reviewed!

Happy: Credits to Ziaw for beta reading this chapter! Thank you!

**DISCLAIMER:**

Juvia: Juvia is sad. Everyone was so disappointed to see Juvia in the previous chapter. Boo hoo...

Lucy: Psst, Juvia, you're supposed to do the disclaimer in this chapter.

Juvia: Leave me alone, Juvia is not in the mood for this. *gloomy aura*

Lucy: Juvia! Look! Gray is there!

Juvia: Where? Wait for me, Gray-sama! *runs towards Gray*

Gray: W-what?

Lucy: *sighs* I guess I'll do the disclaimer then. YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail! She only owns the plot and some OCs.

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Forest**

Natsu turned to face the speaker. It was an old woman with short white hair and wrinkled skin. She wore a lavender colored sweater and long trousers. She looked like an ordinary old woman.

"I'm sorry to startle you," the old woman apologized. "I'm afraid I can't see very well now that I've lost my glasses. Would you be kind enough to help me find them?"

"OK," Natsu agreed. This was probably his second task anyway.

"Thank you. I'm sure it's in one of the nearby bushes." The old woman said, smiling.

'Nearby'. It was the same word that the cloaked boy used. If it was someone else Natsu would have complained that saying something was 'nearby' wasn't of much help. But this was an old woman, so Natsu kept his mouth shut. The dragon slayer bent down and searched for the old woman's glasses among the bushes. Strangely the forest seemed to be getting darker by the minute. _What's with this forest?_ Natsu grumbled, but carried on with his search. If he didn't find the glasses, he might not get his next directions. That would make his journey much harder.

It was tough searching for the glasses. Even after fifteen minutes, Natsu still couldn't find it. Somehow his dragon senses weren't working very well. Was it because of this world? Sighing, Natsu slumped down on the ground. _I'll just take a little break_, he thought.

"Can you find it?" The old lady sounded worried.

"I'm still searching for it. Sorry for the wait!" Natsu called.

_Argh, I can't even take a break_. Natsu frowned. He got up sighing again, touching something as he got up. "What's this?" He saw something thin and brown and picked it up. It was a pair of glasses. _Was it here all along?_ Natsu wondered. He was sure it wasn't there when he sat down.

"Oba-san, I found your glasses!" Natsu called, handing it to the old woman.

The old woman put it on. "Thank you so much!" She looked at Natsu carefully before asking, "Are you the traveller?"

Natsu nodded. "That's right!"

"Oh, that's good," the old woman smiled. "I was supposed to be here to give you something, before I realized my glasses were gone. Now, what was it I was supposed to give you?"

"Directions?" Natsu asked hopefully.

"Oh yes I remember it! I was supposed to give you this," The old woman gave Natsu an envelope. "Oba-san must be getting old!" She said laughing at herself. "To think I would forget something like this!"

Natsu opened the envelope eagerly. There was a note inside.

_Task 3: **Clear the forest.**_

"Clear the forest?" What's with this crappy task? What did that mean? Was he supposed to clear the trees in the forest? By what? Burning the forest down? "Calm down Natsu," He calmed himself. "It shouldn't be something like that. It's probably... Well, I'll just ask Oba-san." He turned to where the old woman was, but she was gone. _She's gone? I didn't even hear her leave._

* * *

Meanwhile, at Fairy Tail, Team Shadow Gear had just finished their latest job. Together they walked to the guild and Levy McGarden opened the doors.

"We're back!" Levy called out cheerfully.

There was a chorus of "LEVY!" and "LEVY-CHAN!" as everyone ran towards the small blue-haired wizard.

"Why is Levy the only one who has such a warm welcome?" Jet grumbled.

"Um, is something wrong?" Levy asked.

Erza quickly explained the situation to the trio and showed them the mirror.

Levy inspected the words on the mirror. "Hmm, I think I have seen such writing before. It's a very ancient writing. But I need to do some research first. And the mirror... I feel that I've seen it somewhere..." Levy said thoughtfully.

"In a book, maybe?" Lucy suggested.

Levy brightened. "I think so! Lu-chan, how about we go to the guild's library?"

Lucy nodded. "Sure!"

"Everyone, we're going!" Levy said, and left to the library with Lucy.

"I hope they can find out how to get Natsu back," Happy said, worried.

* * *

In the library, Lucy and Levy were having a hard time finding the books they needed. Lucy was standing on a ladder, trying to look for the books.

"Lu-chan!" Levy called. "I found _Ancient Writing_. Can you find _The Book of Mirrors_?"

"I'm trying to," Lucy replied. She looked at the books around her. Then she saw a book labelled _The Book of Mirrors_. "I found it!" she cried out happily. Lucy reached for the book, but slipped and fell down the ladder.

"Oof," Lucy grumbled. _Strange, _she thought, _the floor feels kind of soft..._

Then she saw that she was lying on a white... coat? Suddenly, Lucy realised she hadn't landed on the floor. She had landed on someone.

"Ouch," Lucy heard a familiar voice.

"Gray?" Lucy jumped up quickly, realising that she had landed on top of the ice wizard. "I'm sorry!"

"Happy wasn't kidding when he said you were heavy," Gray commented, rubbing his back.

Lucy's face became red. "You... What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you needed help," Gray answered.

"Lu-chan, Gray, are you OK?" Levy asked.

"Oh yes," Lucy replied. She looked around and picked up _The Book of Mirrors_, which dropped off the shelf when she fell, among many other books. "I got the book."

Levy looked at the huge pile of books that had fallen on the floor. "Looks like we have to put those books back."

Lucy blushed. "Sorry!"

* * *

**The World Inside the Mirror**

After a long thought, Natsu finally decided out what he should do.

"I'll just walk through the forest. That should be what it means." he decided.

Walking through the forest, Natsu noticed something crawling out of a bush. It was a brown hedgehog-like creature. It froze when it saw Natsu looking at it. Then the creature seemed to grow bigger and bigger, until it was the size of an elephant. The creature tilted its head towards Natsu, its eyes turning red.

"Wanting to challenge me huh? Well, I can't turn down a fight. I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed, his hands burning with fire.

The giant hedgehog was charging towards Natsu, with two more behind it. Natsu grinned and ran towards it.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

A pillar of red flames came out of the dragon slayer's mouth, attacking the three giant hedgehogs, defeating them instantly. Three other hedgehogs appeared. The wizard jumped and shouted, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Red flames attacked the new hedgehogs and they fell down defeated.

"That was easy," Natsu said, pleased, landing on a rock. It was easy. Too easy, in fact. He should have known.

Natsu heard a low growl and saw the gleaming of red eyes. He gulped. It was not a rock. It looked like a rock, but it wasn't. It was a huge grey creature with not a single trace of fur. It had two thick horns on the top of its head.

Then it started to move.

"Nooo!" the dragon slayer shouted, grabbing onto the creature's horns for dear life as the creature started bolting across the forest.

* * *

**Author's Corner:**  
YamadaHikari: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! :)


	5. Chapter 5: The Message

Lucy: Welcome to Chapter 5 of **The Other Side of the Mirror! **YamadaHikari would like to thank all her readers for supporting this story!

**DISCLAIMER: **

Juvia: Lucy! What were you doing with Gray-sama in the library?

Lucy: N-nothing!

Juvia: Don't deny it! *accusing look*

Lucy: Look, Gray is here!

Juvia: Gray-sama! *runs towards Gray*

Gray: *sighs* Again?

Happy: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail! She only owns the plot of this story and some OCs. Enjoy the story!

* * *

**Chapter 5: The Message**

"Stop! Stop!" Natsu moaned, vomiting on the forest floor. _I can't take it anymore... Somebody.. help..._

The dragon slayer was slowly losing conscious due to his motion sickness. He felt very weak, and could hardly hold onto the grey creature's horns anymore. Squeezing his eyes shut, he willed himself to hold on.

The grey creature was moving faster now, as if someone or something was chasing it. Then Natsu heard a wail coming from somewhere, exactly where, he couldn't tell. The creature growled loudly in reply. Natsu heard another wail. This time, there was a look of sheer terror in the grey creature's red eyes. Natsu could sense the creature's fear and panic. All of a sudden, the grey creature made a sharp turn, causing the dragon slayer to be thrown off from its back.

"Ouch!" Natsu groaned. Fortunately, he landed on a patch of grass, but the impact of being thrown off a running creature definitely hurt.

Natsu was still feeling weak from his motion sickness, and couldn't get up for a while. His head was spinning and everything looked blurry to him. That ride was terrible. Terrible wasn't enough to describe it. It was worse than any ride he had been on. At least, he had a proper seat on trains and carriages. In fact, Erza would knock him out if she was with him, saving him from the pain and distress. But that ride... he couldn't let go of those thick, grey horns. _Maybe I should have, _Natsu thought. _It wouldn't have made a big difference anyway. After all, I still got thrown off in the end..._

Natsu lay down on the grass. He was exhausted. He wished Happy was here. Happy could have carried him as they flew to their destinations. _Happy... Lucy... Erza... Even ice-brain Gray... _Natsu really missed his friends. "I have to get back to the guild," the dragon slayer said determinedly.

* * *

**Fairy Tail**

Cana Alberona opened the doors of Fairy Tail. "Mira!" she called out. "One barrel of beer please!"

"Sure!" Mirajane replied.

_It sure is empty today,_ the heavy drinker thought sitting down to drink her beer. She looked at her guild mates. Levy and Lucy were reading two books with a serious look on their faces. Jet and Droy were cheering them on loudly, and Elfman joined in, like during the Changling incident. Erza was talking to Gray, with Juvia spying on them behind a pillar. Cana couldn't help but overhear their conversation. She heard something about Natsu entering a mirror and weird writing.

_Natsu entered a mirror? What mirror? _Cana wondered, then she noticed the peculiar object in the guild. _So that's the mirror. I wonder how Natsu went in?_

"It sure is quiet in the guild without Flamehead," Gray commented, walking towards Cana.

Cana looked up from her drink. "Gray, your clothes," she said.

"Whoa!" Gray exclaimed, and went to look for his missing clothes.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia said admiringly, with hearts in her eyes.

"I got it!" Levy suddenly cried out. Jet, Droy and Elfman stopped cheering. The rest of the guild members rushed over to see what Levy found out.

"This writing was used 400 years ago. I've matched the letters to those on the mirror. It says..." There was a slight pause before Levy continued. "It says **_For all those who enter the Mirror, good luck getting out._**"

Lucy shuddered. "That's scary. Does that mean..." She trailed off.

"...Natsu might not come out?" Cana finished for her, then regretted doing so. Lucy stared at her with teary eyes.

"No..." said Lucy.

"Natsu..." Happy whispered sadly.

"There must be a way," Erza said firmly. "Levy, please find out more about the mirror."

"Yes, Erza," Levy nodded.

Master walked towards them. "Natsu is a Fairy Tail wizard. He will definitely come back."

* * *

**The World Inside the Mirror**

Natsu looked around him. The extremely unpleasant ride actually had some good points. The pink-haired wizard had to admit that it led him to the end of the forest much sooner than he could have walking.

Natsu got up to his feet. It was time to move on. He walked around the area, looking for any people or mailboxes. Then he stopped suddenly. Natsu was sure that he heard wailing. It was probably the same wailing that made the grey creature so frightened that it threw Natsu off. The Fairy Tail wizard tried to use his dragon senses. However, it seemed that he was unable to sense anything.

_I'm sure someone is here, _Natsu thought determinedly.

He flinched at the sound of rustling of trees. _Who's there?_ he wanted to ask, but thought better of it. _I feel like I'm being watched... _

Natsu heard the snapping of a twig. He turned to where he heard the sound. It was just a squirrel. The squirrel looked at the dragon slayer, slighted alarmed. Then it scampered away quickly.

"I'm here," said a voice.

Natsu turned to face the speaker. It was a young man, probably in his twenties. He had blond hair and was tall, taller than Natsu. He wore a green T-shirt with a dark blue jacket over it and faded grey jeans. He was leaning on a tree with his hands behind his head, an amused smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Natsu asked.

The man grinned. "Who am I? That's not important. What's important is who you are, and what I have."

Natsu raised his eyebrows and said nothing.

"I'm sure you're the traveller. I have something you need." the man said.

"Directions?" the dragon slayer questioned.

"Indeed," the man replied. "But it's not for free."

"What do you want then?" Natsu asked.

The man's face darkened. "Your soul."

"My... soul?" Natsu was shocked. Then his expression hardened. _Was this guy trying to fight me? Or kill me? Well, I'll show him what a dragon slayer is!_

Suddenly, the man started laughing. "You should see that look on your face!"

"What?" Natsu stood dumbfounded.

"I was just kidding," the man said. "What I want isn't your soul. I want fur from the rockbull."

"The what? Rockbull? What's that?" Natsu asked.

"It's the grey creature you were on just now." the man explained.

"Oh, that," Natsu replied. "But I don't have any of its fur."

"That's not true. There's some on your scarf."

Natsu stared at his scarf and picked up the grey fur. He gave it to the man, who gladly accepted it.

"Fur from the rockbull is very rare. It is used as an ingredient for certain potions." the blond explained, inspecting the fur.

"OK then, can I have my new directions now?" Natsu asked, bored. He wasn't interested about potions or the fur, no matter how rare it was.

The blond man took out a slightly crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "Here," he said, giving it to the dragon slayer.

"Thanks." Natsu unfolded the piece of paper.

**_Task 4: Get across the hill. _**

_Hill? _Looking ahead, Natsu saw that the forest was near the foot of a hill. _How strange. I don't remember seeing it just now. _

"Don't be surprised," the man chuckled. "This world is full of wonders. You'll never know what will happen."

"This world?" Natsu looked at the man. "Are you from another world like me? Where are you from?"

The man laughed. "No, no. For you, this is a different world, isn't it? For me, it has always been this world."

"Always?" Natsu was doubtful.

"Yes, always. Now, go on, it's not good to be wasting time. Time is precious," the man said. "Good luck, traveller."

Natsu looked at the hill ahead of him, then to the man, and finally back to the hill._ Time is precious, huh? I better go then. _"See you!" he called to the man, and hurried on his way.

"Wait for me, everyone. I'll be back!" Natsu shouted, hoping his guild mates could hear him.

The man lingered around the forest. _He's determined. He has the energy and the strength. __I bet he can make it._ The man heard a sudden wail, and flinched. _The time is coming. Good luck, traveller._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Hope you liked this chapter! Please review, it makes me motivated! Thank you! =)

~YamadaHikari


	6. Chapter 6: The Bridge

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
YamadaHikari: Minna-san, hontou ni gomenasai! I'm truly sorry for the delay of this chapter. School has started and I have important exams this year, thus I have lots of tests and homework pouring in. From now onwards I have to sadly update less often.

**DISCLAIMER:**  
Lucy: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail! She only owns the plot and some OCs, namely Takashi the cloaked boy and the currently unnamed blond young man.

Happy: Why is he unnamed?

Lucy: How would I know?

Happy: Maybe YamadaHikari is too lazy.

YamadaHikari: Hey! I asked you to the disclaimer, not to make fun of me! Otherwise I'll ask Erza to come!

Happy: *shudders* G-Gomenasai, YamadaHikari!

YamadaHikari: Anyway, enjoy the story! Credits to **Ziaw**, my beta-reader and imouto for beta-reading this chapter and providing some ideas! Arigato! ^ v ^

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Bridge**

Natsu ran up the hill quickly. The sky was a nice shade of blue, with white puffy clouds. Birds were singing cheerily. The grass was green, and there were small wildflowers on the hill. It seemed like a very pleasant day. The dragon slayer didn't notice any of these though. All he cared about was getting back to Fairy Tail.

Natsu didn't stop running, even when he reached the top of the hill. He ran down the hill with a determined look on his face.

At the top of the hill, the trees rustled slightly where a young black-haired teenage boy emerged from. "Wasn't that the traveler? Why didn't he stop? To think I had to come all the way here to deliver this to him," the boy grumbled.

He took out the envelope inside his pocket of his dark blue cloak and looked at it. 'I bet it doesn't hurt to open it,' he thought. 'Not like I'm supposed to find him right now. It's his fault.' He smirked, taking out the note.

"Takashi."

"What is it, Aniki?" the boy asked the newcomer.

The blond newcomer looked at the younger boy. "You shouldn't read it. It's not for you. Give it to him."

The black-haired boy frowned. "It's not my fault he didn't stop."

"Go," the blond young man insisted.

"But-" Takashi argued, but got interrupted by the blond.

"Takashi, it may be the only way we can all leave," the blond said seriously. "The new traveler is promising. He might be able to make it."

Takashi knew it, yet he hated going after the traveler. But if doing that could get them out of here...

Takashi looked at the blond young man. "Fine, I'll go."

* * *

Natsu looked around the foot of the hill. He had reached there five minutes ago, but there was no one in sight. The foot of the hill only had grass, bushes, wild flowers and nothing else. The dragon slayer heard birds singing, though he couldn't see any. 'Is this the right place?' Natsu wondered.

Suddenly the singing stopped. Natsu turned around. It was the cloaked boy with jet black hair.

"Cloak Boy!" Natsu called out excitedly.

Takashi scowled. "My name isn't Cloak Boy."

"Then what's your name?" Natsu asked curiously.

"None of your business," Takashi muttered. He took out the envelope and shoved it to Natsu. "Here."

"Are those my new directions? Thanks, Cloak Boy!" the pink-haired wizard opened the envelope eagerly and unfolded the note.

_Task 5: Cross the bridge._

Natsu looked around. Was there a bridge here? He hadn't noticed it just now. Then he saw a small, rickety brown bridge in front of him. He turned to the cloaked boy to ask him, but decided not to. He remembered the blond young man's words: "Don't be surprised. This world is full of wonders. You'll never know what would happen."

"Well, I'm leaving," Takashi said, walking off.

"Hey, wait!" Natsu called. "Do you want to come with me?"

Takashi stopped walking, but he didn't turn around. "No, I can't. It is your journey alone." he said quietly.

Natsu watched him leave without any further questioning. There was no time for that now.

Natsu walked to the bridge quickly. It was very old, and he hesitated before crossing it. It was very narrow, allowing only one person to cross it at a time. It looked pretty unstable, like it could just collapse any moment. But crossing it was the only way he could continue his journey, so Natsu made his way across it.

The bridge hardly moved when he walked. "Looks like it's not as bad as it seems," he commented, relieved. "I bet I can do this." He had been afraid that he would have motion sickness again. He carefully made his way across the bridge.

Unfortunately, when Natsu was halfway across the bridge, things began to go wrong.

The ground at the other end was breaking. It was dangerously close to the other end of the bridge. Even without the need of his dragon hearing, Natsu could hear the sound of the ground cracking and breaking.

"It's alright," he assured himself. "I can make it in time."

The dragon slayer tried to move faster, but that was a mistake. The sudden vigorous movement caused the other end of the bridge to give way. It was too much for the bridge to handle. Natsu stared in horror as the bridge started collapsing. Natsu saw broken pieces of the bridge drop into the river below him. He heard it, the loud splashing of the broken pieces of wood as they hit the gushing water.

The bridge was swaying wildly. Natsu grabbed onto the rope of the bridge tightly, clutching his stomach with one hand. It was what he dreaded. He was having motion sickness AGAIN.

Natsu's heart skipped a beat. That wasn't the worse part. Soon, it could be his turn to fall into the river along with the broken bridge.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
YamadaHikari: So, how is it? Please review! Thank you! :)


	7. Chapter 7: The Encounter

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**  
YamadaHikari: If you found my previous chapter short, I have been working hard on a longer chapter this time! Once again, thank you **Ziaw** for helping me with this chapter! Also, just so that you know, I do read your reviews and reply by PM, so do review!

**DISCLAIMER:**  
Lucy: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail!

Happy: Enjoy the story! Please review!

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Encounter**

Natsu looked at the gushing river below him. He was going to fall; there was no denying it. The bridge swayed even more as Natsu heard the snapping of ropes of the bridge. More pieces of wood fell into the river. The dragon slayer gulped. There was no way he could run back to the end he came from in time. He looked around, hoping he could think of a plan. There had to be a way for him to survive somehow, right?

Unfortunately, it was a race against time.

SNAP! Natsu had trouble balancing himself. He grabbed onto the ropes of the bridge but it was no use. The bridge was breaking. The wooden planks were dropping. Natsu slipped, falling. He grabbed onto the end of the bridge hoping for some sort of support. However, the bridge was already just hanging from the secure end that Natsu came from. It kept swinging back and forth, making the dragon slayer dizzy.

Things were definitely not going Natsu's way. A loud "SNAP!" concluded Natsu's fate. He really was falling now. Natsu shut his eyes, unsure of what to do.

"I'm falling," was all he could murmur before he crashed into the gushing river.

The river was deeper than Natsu thought. Something seemed to pull him in, deeper into the water, and Natsu struggled to keep afloat. Nevertheless, it was tiresome. He could not keep up any longer.

"Help!" he called, looking around frantically. "Anyone here?"

Someone appeared to have heard his call. "Natsu Dragneel," said a voice.

Natsu turned to see a young man with black hair and a black cloak standing on a mossy rock nearby. It wasn't Cloak Boy. It was a man Natsu hadn't seen before.

"How do you know my name?" Natsu asked. "Who are you? Wait, please help me first!" he swallowed water as he tried to speak and keeping himself afloat.

The black-haired man ignored the dragon slayer's questions and pleas for help. "Natsu Dragneel. I have been hoping to meet you, but now is not the time. You are not ready."

"What?" Natsu asked, puzzled.

The man turned away from him and jumped to another mossy rock. "You are not ready," he repeated softly, with an ominous hint in his tone.

"Wait!" Natsu cried out. "Please don't leave! Help me!"

Unfortunately, he was ignored of his plight. The black-haired man had left the river after jumping from rock to rock. Natsu struggled to keep afloat. He was exhausted, and the mysterious man was gone. He pondered about what the man was talking about. But there was no time to worry about that. He had to get out of the river first. Although Natsu could swim, the current was threatening to pull him away. "Think, Natsu, think!" he exclaimed. He was a dragon slayer, so how could he not be able to get out of here? He stared at the mossy rocks the mysterious man had used as a path. If he could reach the rocks, he should be able to get out of the river.

"Flaming Fists of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu shouted. He positioned his fists behind him, using his magic to propel himself towards the mossy rocks. To Natsu's delight, it worked. He grabbed hold of the nearest mossy rock, and was about to pull himself up when he noticed something was wrong. The rock had _eyes_. It was a pair of dark green eyes that looked hollow and empty, as if staring into space. Natsu shook his head, thinking that his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

"It's just a rock," he told himself. "Rocks don't have eyes." He blinked and looked at the rock again. There really were eyes. "Again?" Natsu groaned inwardly. It was the second time a rock in this world wasn't a rock. He was prepared to be thrown off the creature or something, but the creature didn't even move.

_Strange, _Natsu thought. He stared at the eyes again. With a jolt, he understood what the emptiness of the eyes meant. The creature was... _dead_. Natsu stared at the other rocks. They were probably dead creatures too. Did the mysterious man know that when he used them as a path? A chill went down his spine. He was holding onto a dead creature! Natsu hastily released his grip on the creature, splashing into the water. A strange force was trying to pull him deeper into the river again.

"Flaming Fists of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu shouted, this time positioning his fists below him. He shot out of the water, landing on the other side of the river bank. _I should have done this from the start, _Natsu thought.

* * *

In Fairy Tail, Levy was searching for a way to help Natsu. She scanned through the thick book quickly, looking for clues.

"Can you find anything, Levy-chan?" Lucy asked worriedly.

"Not yet," Levy replied sadly, not looking up from the page she was reading. Then she saw it. "Everyone!" she called. "I found it!"

All the Fairy Tail guild members that were present gathered around the petite blue-haired wizard excitedly.

"Levy, what did you find out?" Master Makarov asked.

"I'm not sure it will work, but this is the best I could find. The only way we can communicate with Natsu is by sending him a message. He may or may not receive it, but it's worth a try." Levy said.

"How do we send him a message?" Erza asked.

"By 'sending a message', the book actually means trying to talk to Natsu," Levy explained. "One person has to put his or her hand on the mirror and focus on wanting to talk to Natsu. Then he or she has 1 minute to talk to Natsu."

"Will we be able to hear Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"I'm not sure," Levy admitted. "Most likely Natsu can hear us, but we can't hear him. It might take a different method for him to talk to us."

"But what are we going to tell Natsu? We don't know how to help him." Cana pointed out.

Master Makarov looked grim. "No matter what, we should try it. It's the only way we can communicate with Natsu."

"We can tell Natsu about finding the village chief's son," Erza suggested. "Perhaps Natsu can complete that for me."

"Can Flamebrain really complete that? It's an extra _S_-Class request." Gray muttered to himself. Unfortunately for him, Erza heard that and shot him a deadly glare.

"We should all believe in Natsu," Erza told him firmly, and Gray nodded meekly.

"I think that's a good idea. Erza, would you like to send the message to Natsu?" Master said.

"Yes, Master," Erza replied, walking towards the mirror.

* * *

**YamadaHikari: **Hope you liked this chapter! Can anyone guess who's the mysterious man? Please review, they really motivate me! =)


	8. Chapter 8: The Whispering Cave

YamadaHikari: *sulks in a corner growing mushrooms* (Ouran Highschool Host Club, anyone?)

Mirajane: I don't get the part about Ouran, but what happened, Hikari-chan? *looks worried*

YamadaHikari: Mira... *sniff* I didn't get any reviews for Chapter 7. This is so depressing...

Mirajane: My, my. Don't be sad, Hikari-chan!

Elfman: Don't cry, YamadaHikari! A man doesn't cry!

YamadaHikari: But I'm not even a man in the first place...

**DISCLAIMER:**

Happy: Well, while the author is being so emotional in that corner, we shall start the disclaimer!

Lucy: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail! All characters belong to Hiro Mashima. Special thanks to Isabelle for beta-reading this!

Happy: Enjoy Chapter 8!

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Whispering Cave**

Happy squirmed in his seat while Erza sent the message to Natsu. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Erza was the one who sent the message, and not him. He was Natsu's best friend. Shouldn't he be the one to send the message? But still, who was he to fight with Erza? Happy shuddered just thinking about it. There was no way he could beat Erza at any argument, so Happy just watched.

* * *

**The World Inside the Mirror**  
"Now that I'm on the other side of the river, what should I do?" Natsu asked himself.

As if in response, a piece of paper floated down from the sky. Natsu caught and unfolded it.

_Dear traveler,_  
_You have failed your task._

Natsu stared at the note. He failed the task?

"What?" he uttered in disbelief. The bridge broke, for goodness sake. How could he have crossed it? It wasn't even his fault the bridge broke!

Natsu glared at the sky. But before he could say anything else, he felt the ground shaking. "An earthquake?" Suddenly, the ground was giving way. Natsu felt like he was sinking. "Quicksand?" The dragon slayer attempted to get out, but to no avail. He was sinking.

Then he blacked out.

* * *

When Natsu awoke, he found himself in a familiar place. It was the exact location where he arrived through the Mirror. Does he have to start his journey all over again?

A piece of paper floated down from the sky. Natsu snatched it and read it.

_Natsu Dragneel,_  
_A message has arrived for you. Enter the Whispering Cave._

"What's the Whispering Cave?" Natsu wondered.

Looking around, his eyes rested upon a sign. "Whispering Cave", it read, pointing towards Natsu's right.

_I guess I should just follow it,_ Natsu thought.

Turning to the right, the dragon slayer found more signs guiding him to the Whispering Cave. There were around six of them. After following the signs, Natsu reached the entrance of a huge, dark cave. He hesitated slightly, then stepped into the dark cave.

Natsu kept walking in the cave for five minutes. Gradually,the sunlight faded and Natsu was enshrouded with darkness. The dragon slayer tried creating fire, but it didn't work. With no choice, he continued his journey onward, tracing the wall of the cave to guide himself. Natsu heard the trickling of water in the cave, but he couldn't see anything. Then he stepped on a puddle of water, splashing some on his feet.

_Why is there water in the cave?_ he pondered.

The cave seemed to be narrower as Natsu walked on. It was now just wide enough for one person to pass. Natsu could touch both walls of the cave, which felt damp. After a while, the walls seemed to have glimmering patches, which made the cave slightly brighter. After walking a bit further, the cave became wider, and the walls of the cave glimmered.

"Natsu."

The dragon slayer stopped in his tracks when he heard the voice. It echoed around the cave. He looked around him, but he couldn't see anyone.

"Who's there?" Natsu asked. The voice sounded so familiar to the dragon slayer.

"Natsu Dragneel," it was the voice again. "I'm Erza."

"Erza!" Natsu's voice echoed around the cave. "Where are you, Erza?"

It appears that Erza could not hear him.

"Listen carefully, Natsu. I have only one minute. This is a message I'm sending you. I cannot hear your reply, so just listen to me. The mirror you entered was from a extra request from my S Class job. I need you to find the village chief's son who has entered the mirror and bring him back to our world. Please find him and complete my task for me. There's no other way. Also, we are unable to find ways to save you yet, but we'll keep searching. We'll be waiting for you, Natsu."

"We'll be waiting for you, Natsu…" Erza's last sentence echoed around the cave.

Natsu's head was spinning. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask Erza, yet he couldn't ask her since she couldn't hear him. Extra request from an S Class job? Village chief's son? Bring him back to their world?

Natsu sighed. So now it wasn't just about saving himself. He had to find some village chief's son first.

"Erza could have at least told me his name," Natsu muttered to himself. "I can't even find my own way around this place. How can I find the village chief's son?"

* * *

**Fairy Tail**

Happy was getting impatient. It had been hours since Erza sent the message to Natsu._ Had Natsu received it?_ The blue Exceed wondered. He frowned. He was still upset that he wasn't the one to send the message to Natsu. Happy walked to the mirror. _Who says that only Erza can send a message? I'm Natsu's best friend. I can send a message to him too._

The Exceed stared at the mirror. _What were the steps again? Oh yes, first you have to put your hand on the mirror and think of Natsu, right?_ Happy placed his paw on the mirror. _Natsu, where are you?_

Happy stared at the mirror. It seemed that his reflection was fading. It swirled, changing to another image. The image became clearer. Happy's eyes widened. It was Natsu! He could see Natsu standing beside a huge blue lake. _Natsu is there! I need to go to Natsu. I need to help him!_

Happy's paw was entering the mirror slowly, but Happy didn't know at all. It was as if he lost his consciousness, like Natsu. Slowly Happy's whole body entered the mirror.

But all this was unseen by the other guild members of Fairy Tail.

**Twenty minutes later**

"Erza, have you seen Happy?" Lucy asked, sounding worried.

"Happy? No, I haven't," Erza replied. "What's wrong?"

"Mira hasn't seen Happy either. I'm really worried about him." Lucy looked anxious.

"It's pretty late. Maybe Happy went home already." Erza said.

"But wouldn't he at least tell us before leaving?" Lucy asked.

"Happy must be very upset about Natsu's disappearance into the mirror. He probably wanted to be alone." Erza told her. "You're just worrying too much."

"I hope it's just me," Lucy said softly, but she doubted it. She looked at the mirror and realised something with a jolt.

"Could Happy have entered the mirror?"

* * *

**The World Inside the Mirror**

Upon his arrival into the World Inside the Mirror, Happy looked around him. It was the place where he saw Natsu, but where was the missing dragon slayer?

"Natsu!" Happy shouted. "Where are you?"

There was no reply. Happy walked around the area, but he couldn't find any signs of his best friend or anyone else. There was a deadly silence. It was like the Exceed was all alone in that place.

"Anybody here?" Happy called. He tried to use his Aera magic to fly, but to his dismay, it didn't work.

Happy shivered at a sudden gust of wind. Something told him that entering the mirror was a huge mistake.

* * *

A lone maroon-haired man stood on the tallest mountain of The World Inside the Mirror, where he could see everything that was happening. "Another traveler has failed and is now a Walker. How pathetic. Also, a new player has arrived. I can hear it... It seems to be another Seeker," he said to himself, sounding quite disappointed. He felt something slithering up his arm, and he smiled when he saw his pet.

"I suppose it'll be too boring to watch another hopeless journey, won't it? Let's do something different this time." A smirk crept up his face as he devised a plan for the new player. "Now this will be interesting." he told his pet.

Behind him, a newcomer appeared. He had silver hair that partially covered his face and was dressed like a Shinigami, with a scythe resting on his right shoulder. "A new Walker and a new Seeker. This will be a fun addition to this game." he commented.

"The Seeker is looking for the Walker," the maroon-haired man said, turning to the newcomer. "But there's no way I'll make it easy for him."

The silver-haired man nodded in agreement as he grabbed his scythe. "Neither would I."

"The Walker has received a message in the Whispering Cave," the maroon-haired man observed. "But I doubt he'll ever fulfill his task. Neither is it much help to him anyway."

"What should we assign to him now?" the man with the scythe asked.

"For now, let's just watch the Seeker." the maroon-haired man decided.

* * *

Happy heard a rustling sound behind him, coming from some bushes. "Natsu?" the Exceed called out hopefully. Unfortunately, his hopes were dashed when he heard loud howling and a black wolf with glowing green eyes came out of the bushes. _Oh no,_ Happy thought. Not only wasn't it Natsu, it sure didn't look friendly. Happy tried to fly away, but to no avail. His Aera magic wasn't working. Left with no choice, Happy did the only thing he could do at such a situation.

He ran.

Now, Happy wasn't a very fast runner. He was so used to flying as a means of escape, running was something he hardly needed to do. It was true that he managed to win the Twenty-four Hours Endurance Road Race race against his guild mates, but that was because he was the slow and steady type. Running to escape a carnivore like a wolf was a nightmare.

Happy was chased into a dark forest. He had no idea where to go, so he just kept going straight. Deeper and deeper into the forest he ran, until the Exceed had no more breath to run anymore. That was when he realised the wolf was gone. Panting, Happy lay down heavily on the grass to rest. He noticed some mushrooms near him, and his stomach growled, making him realise that he was starving from running.

If Happy had known any better, he would have thought twice about the mushrooms. However, this never occurred to him and the blue Exceed gave in to his growling stomach. He picked up one of the mushrooms and ate it hungrily. Soon, he felt drowsy and fell into a deep slumber.

The maroon-haired man grinned at the sight of the sleeping Exceed. He looked at the gleaming green eyes of his pet. "The Seeker has picked his fate. The game has just begun."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

YamadaHikari: Sorry for the late update! Did you like the chapter? This is my longest chapter so far, so please, please, please review! They really make me happy! Anyway, I realised that I've included many page breaks in this chapter. I hope they aren't annoying or anything. Also, can you guess who the new characters are? They're both characters from Fairy Tail. I suppose I've given many clues already. ;)

If you're wondering what the terms "Seeker" and "Walker" means, that will be explained in the story soon.


	9. Chapter 9: The Fate of the Seeker

YamadaHikari: Sorry for the wait! I had some writer's block recently, so I couldn't think of how to continue this story. Thank you** Yorokobi Asahi**, **Kudai Kage** and **JustPlainMemories** for your reviews! They are really appreciated! And for the follows and favourites, thank you readers!

**DISCLAIMER:**

Mirajane: My, my, I'm glad you're alright now, Hikari-chan.

YamadaHikari: Hai! Could you please do the disclaimer, Mira?

Mirajane: No problem! *smiles sweetly* YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail! All characters belong to Hiro Mashima. Some OCs from the previous chapters will be showing up in this chapter!

Lucy: Thank you **Ziaw **for beta-reading this chapter! Enjoy the story!

Elfman: Be a man and review!

Happy: Aye Sir!

* * *

**Ch 9: The Fate of the Seeker**

The maroon-haired man stood with crossed arms as he watched the blue Exceed intently, like an eagle watching its prey. He smirked when he saw the Exceed stir. This was all part of the plan he devised for the new Seeker. The mushrooms there were a trap. There were four different ones, but only one of them was a regular mushroom that was edible, but the maroon-haired man doubted that was what the Seeker consumed. The other three had different effects on the consumer. One had a fatal amount of poison which would lead to an instant death. Another would cause amnesia. As for the last one...

"Which fate has it chosen?" he wondered. He got his reply when the new player opened his eyes. His eyes were no longer clear and lively, instead, they looked hollow and bleak. The maroon-haired man gave a rueful laugh as he worked out which mushroom the Seeker had eaten. It was the last of mushrooms, a deadly choice for both the Seeker and the Walker.

The last mushroom allowed the Seeker to lose control of his own mind. That was, he became nothing but a puppet, having to obey every command the maroon-haired man ordered him to. And now, the Exceed was no longer a Seeker in the game. Rather, he was given a new role, the role of the Servant.

"We have a new Servant now," the maroon-haired man declared. "A new Servant right under my control."

The man with the scythe grinned. "How about we test him?"

"Good idea." the maroon-haired man nodded. "Servant," he said, referring to the Exceed.

"Yes, Master," came a monotone reply.

"Your first task will be… to fly up to the tallest mountain and report to me."

"Order received," the Exceed replied, spreading his wings and taking off.

The man with the scythe watched the Exceed fly away. "You released his magic?" he questioned.

"It's to test his abilities," The other man answered.

The light-haired man looked doubtful, but before he could question any further, a snake slithered up the maroon-haired man's arm, distracting the light-haired man.

"You're right," the maroon-haired man told his pet. "Sit back and enjoy the show."

Happy arrived to the top of the mountain swiftly. "Servant reporting, Master." He said.

The two men looked impressed by the speed of their new Servant. "He could be a good messenger for us," the light-haired man said thoughtfully.

"It won't do," the other man shook his head. "We can't risk having him flying around too much. The new Walker might spot him, and we can't let that happen."

The light-haired man couldn't help but feel that the other man was contradicting himself. "Besides, what else can he do for us? His only ability appears to be flying."

The maroon-haired man looked at Happy who was waiting patiently for his new orders.

"For now, the Servant will stay with me. We shouldn't let him be detected by the Walker yet. Let's check on the Walker first, in case he tries to do anything funny."

* * *

Natsu was getting frustrated. Since he wasn't receiving any more instructions, he had been wandering around, trying to find a way out. However, all he seemed to do was walking around in circles. No matter where he walked, he always ended up in the same place. It was the place where he started his journey, at the huge lake. There was no one else around except for him. The weather was as it was when he entered the mirror, bright and sunny, with nice, puffy clouds. Natsu could hear the occasional chirping of the birds. It was such fine weather, but it could hardly complement the dragon slayer's mood. He slumped down on a rock, bored but restless.

Natsu was getting impatient, minute by minute. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, and leapt up from the rock. _If nothing is going to happen, waiting here won't help, _he decided. All this waiting was getting to his nerves; he could even burn up the whole forest. A grin sneaked up his face, erasing his bored expression. _Hey wait, that's a pretty good idea!_

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" he shouted. Natsu held his breath, then breathed out a large stream of fire at the nearby bushes. True enough, all the bushes and trees around him were caught in the fire. The smell of fire surrounded the area.

Natsu grinned. "That was nice. I'm all fired up!" Nothing was better than destroying a forest. Actually, destroying a whole city was definitely better, but with no cities around, a forest was better than nothing.

Cobra stared at the blazing forest while the trees turned into nothing but ash. "He destroyed the whole forest!" Anger flashed in his eyes.

Erigor chuckled lightly. "I supposed we should have guessed that. He's Natsu Dragneel, after all."

The maroon-haired man wasn't listening. "I should have paid more attention to him," he muttered. "Without those trees, he might be able to escape."

Erigor grabbed his scythe. "Perhaps this will help?"

Cobra shook his head. "There's enough smoke around the area. Anything else will block our view."

"If that's so, what should we do now? Should we send the Exceed there or something?"

Cobra frowned. He hated it, but there was nothing they could do. He ignored the light-haired man's grumbles about not being able to do anything. "Remember our agreement," he said. "It'll be much better for you to listen to me instead of arguing."

Erigor stopped complaining. Even though he disliked the other, he understood the authority and control over this world Cobra had once he entered the mirror. How he got it, Erigor didn't know, but he was sure that it wouldn't be good to be on the bad side of Cobra. And since there weren't any members of the Magic Council in this world, Erigor decided it would be better to stay.

* * *

The black-haired boy wearing a dark blue cloak trudged into the small cottage, with a net in hand and a fishing rod slung over his right shoulder. "I'm back, Aniki," he said gloomily.

A blond young man sitting on a green couch looked up from the book he was reading. "Ah, you're back, Takashi." He peered at the net the boy was holding. "Is that all you've caught?"

Takashi flinched slightly, darting a quick glance at his catch. In the net were three puny fish. It was nothing like his usual catch. "It's not my fault. That traveller polluted the main lake. I can't possibly fish there. The other lakes don't have as many fish, but at least these are edible."

The blond laughed. "That'll do then," he said, then continued reading his book.

Takashi looked at the title of the book his brother was reading. "How many times have you read that book?"

"I've lost count, actually," the other replied. "There's no way I can buy any books here, anyway."

Takashi sighed. He really, really wanted to get out of this world. He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for his curiosity about the mirror. _Stupid, stupid, _he scolded himself. It was the worst thing he'd ever done; the worse choice he'd ever made. His heart felt heavy with his regrets. _Snap out of it, _he thought, shaking his head to clear his negative thoughts. _What's done cannot be undone. Right now, I should focus on making a plan to get out of this cursed land. _

The blond man was staring at the black-haired boy with a puzzled expression. Then he remembered what he overheard earlier that day. "Takashi, I heard that the traveller failed."

Takashi stared at him. "He… failed?" So much for his plans. He actually intended to secretly assist the traveller in hopes of escaping.

The blond nodded grimly. "It's a waste. He looked like he had the potential. Ah well, looks like we're going to be stuck here in Katápa for now."

_Katápa…_ Takashi hated the sound of the name of this world. It was the Greek word for 'curse', and it certainly lived up to its name. This world was a curse. A cursed land, luring people to enter it via the mirror, then trapping them for eternity.

The blond was now standing at the windows, staring outside. "Do you smell something, Takashi?"

Takashi suddenly caught a whiff of something burning. "Fire!" he shouted, alarmed. The two rushed out of the cottage, greeted with the sight of a small tree burning. Takashi threw buckets of water to save the tree. It was no ordinary tree. It was still a sapling, with thin branches but grew lush green leaves. It was a tree of hope and gave protection to those living near it. It was part of a legend in the world of Katápa, growing from the seeds of fruit of a glorious tree. The original tree resembled the Tenrou Tree of Tenrou Island, protecting the people in this world. Unfortunately, it was burned down hundreds of years ago. Nobody knew why. The story was passed down to all the Walkers in Katápa, and seeds of the tree were planted near the houses of Walkers for protection.

The blond man looked around. "Looks like the tree saved us from the fire." True enough, it was the only thing that was caught in the fire. The other trees and bushes were fine, and the cottage was untouched. However, smoke could be seen further away, from the forest.

"What could have caused this?" Takashi asked.

"Cloak Boy! Is that you?"

Takashi stared in shock as a pink-haired boy walked towards the cottage, his fists flaming with fire. "The traveller?"

Natsu smiled at the two males in front of us. "Finally!" he said. "Finally there are people around. I thought everyone was dead here!"

The cloaked boy winced. Was the traveller, no, Walker, the one who destroyed the forest? And here he was, looking like burning up a forest was no big deal.

The blond man spoke up. "Hello, Walker."

Natsu smiled wider. "Oh! I remember you." A loud rumble could be heard, and Natsu laughed. "Sorry about this, but do you have anything to eat here? Preferably, fire?"

_Fire?_ Takashi was speechless. Was this person crazy or something?

The blond man looked amused. "Well, we were just about to prepare lunch. Would you like to join us?"

"Really? Thanks!"

"Aniki!" Takashi protested, but was silenced by the older Walker who was indicating the small tree. Nothing happened when Natsu walked passed it, showing that he wasn't a threat.

"If it's fire you want, how could we eat outside?" The blond suggested.

"Sure!" Natsu agreed enthusiastically.

* * *

Takashi soon learned that you should never, ever, invite a strange fire-eating Walker for lunch. Not only did he eat the fire that was used to cook the fish, he ate all the fish and everything else made for lunch, leaving the two Walkers speechless.

"That was good! I'm all fired up! Is there more?" Natsu asked.

The blond blinked and forced a smile. "No, sorry." He stood up. "I'm going fishing."

"I'll go with you!" Takashi volunteered immediately. There was no way he was going to stay here with an insane Walker who ate his lunch.

The tall blond refused his offer. "It's OK. Keep the Walker company."

_What? No! _Takashi wanted to shout, but kept quiet and watched his brother leave. He sighed and turned to face Natsu, then noticing that he was already sleeping and snoring. Takashi sighed again. _What made me think that he could actually save us?_

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **

YamadaHikari: Sorry if you feel that Natsu appears too little in this chapter. I know it may seem like he got saved by someone again, having to rely on others. Natsu may appear very unlike the hero he's supposed to be right now, but it's because he's pretty confused about the situation (and probably too hungry at the moment).

In this chapter, wanted to explain what is going on with the other characters and the setting of the World Inside the Mirror, which I have named "Katápa" since **JustPlainMemories** suggested that I should give it a proper name.

So, do you like it? Reviews will be appreciated. Feel free to raise any questions about the story, they help me in writing future chapters!


	10. Chapter 10: The Conqueror's Decision

YamadaHikari: Another late update. Sorry about that. I've been so busy with schoolwork recently. Hontou ni gomenasai! *bows* Anyway, a big thank you to all my readers, especially my reviewers, **Yorokobi Asahi, Kudai Kuge, SincerelyTruly and JustPlainMemories**! Arigato gosaimasu! *bows again*

Happy: That's a lot of bowing. Please excuse this overly-emotional author.

**DISCLAIMER:**

Lucy: YamadaHikari does not own Fairy Tail! Thank you **Ziaw** for beta-reading this chapter!

Happy: Enjoy the story and don't forget to review! Aye Sir!

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Conqueror's Decision**

When Natsu woke up, Takashi started missing the previous peacefulness in the cottage. _Even if I'll never get the chance to get out of Katápa, I'll prefer to live in the peacefulness…_ he thought, half-listening to the nonsensical rambling of the fire dragon slayer.

"Are you even listening?" Natsu asked him for the hundredth time. It wasn't really the hundredth time, but close enough, at least to Takashi. "Come on, Cloak Boy, isn't it time for you to tell me your name already?"

Takashi covered his face with his hands. _Oh please, someone, just make me disappear…_

"Are you OK, Cloak Boy? What's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell or something? Should I get you some water or something?"

Takashi removed his hands from his face. "I'll really appreciate it if you go back to sleep." It had been three hours since the blond man had left the cottage to fish, and Takashi was starving. _Stupid Aniki, leaving me here to deal with this brat… _

"Aww, don't be like that, Cloak Boy!" Natsu laughed, slapping the black-haired boy in the back.

Takashi scowled and said nothing.

"I've been wondering about this for some time, Cloak Boy. Why are you here? Did you enter the mirror like me? Were you looking for someone?" Natsu asked, looking curious.

Takashi ignored his questions like the previous ones, looking away.

"I think it's time we let him know more about the situation here, Takashi."

Takashi spun around to see his brother standing behind me. "A-Aniki! When did you come in?" He was still unused to his brother's silent entrances. It was spooky.

The blond laughed. "I'm back."

"Hey! You're back! Umm… what's your name?" Natsu stared at the blond.

"Hiroki," he replied.

"Ah, Hiroki!" Natsu smiled. "Finally I get to know a name."

Hiroki looked at the dragon slayer seriously. "Natsu, it's time we explained to you your current situation."

Natsu stopped smiling. He looked at the blond and nodded solemnly.

Takashi's stomach growled. _Oops. So much for the serious atmosphere._ He covered his embarrassment quickly. "Excuse me," he muttered.

Hiroki glanced at him, trying not to laugh. "After lunch then."

* * *

**Magnolia**

It was late, and Lucy left the guild reluctantly. Erza had been trying to calm her down, telling her not to worry about Natsu or Happy. But how could she, after knowing they disappeared like that, one entering a strange mirror and another leaving without a word? Any teammate would worry, wanting to make sure if they were safe.

"I'm home!" Lucy called as she opened her door slowly, only to see darkness. She switched on the light, seeing her room as it was when she left it this morning. She had to admit, she was half-hoping to see Natsu and Happy there, greeting her with a cheerful "Yo, Lucy!", as if trespassing into a teammate's house was a normal thing to do. If it was an ordinary day, she would have shouted at them, secretly wondering how they got in her house in the first place. However, getting to see them right now would have been very comforting for the Celestial mage.

"Natsu, Happy," Lucy said, looking out of her window and staring at the dark sky. "Where are you?"

* * *

**Katápa **

After eating their lunch, Hiroki started explaining the situation to Natsu.

"I suppose you didn't receive any more tasks, did you?"

Natsu shook his head.

"That's because you are now no longer a traveller in this game."

"Game?" Natsu asked incredulously.

"This whole world is like a game, under the control of the two Conquerors. They control the weather here; control where players like us have to go and more. They're just playing with us. Travellers who enter the Mirror are given specific tasks to allow them to leave the Mirror if they wish. However, the tasks become increasingly difficult, and few have passed all of them. Those who fail become Walkers, like us. Walkers are ignored by the Conquerors and left to fend themselves on their own, with no means of escape."

"Meaning, we're trapped here. Forever." Takashi added.

"This world is named Katápa, the Greek word for 'curse'," the blond continued. "The portal was sealed with Ancient Magic two hundred years ago, but was opened twenty years ago with the power of a mysterious Wanderer. Wanderers are people with very strong magic and have the ability to walk through worlds. It was an accident, but since the Wanderer did not close the portal, many people had entered the Mirror. Those people were trapped here, with no ways of getting out. Those who managed to get out never dared to enter the Mirror again to save those who were still trapped. Recently, two men entered the Mirror and claimed Katápa as theirs. They are the Conquerors."

Natsu blinked, trying to absorb as much information as he could. What he definitely caught on was how the Conquerors were the ones responsible for what was going on in this world, the ones not letting him get back to Fairy Tail.

"Then… wouldn't getting rid of the Conquerors stop everything? Wouldn't that get everyone home?" he asked.

"Yes, but it's not as easy as you think. None of us here even know who the Conquerors really are. We don't know their names or how they look like."

"So even their location is unknown?"

Hiroki nodded grimly.

Natsu smirked. "If we can't get to them, we can always get them to come to us."

Hiroki and Takashi stared at the fire dragon slayer in surprise. "You… you want to fight them?" Takashi asked.

"How else?" Natsu grinned.

"But…" Hiroki started.

Natsu pointed to his Fairy Tail stamp on his arm. "Ever heard of Fairy Tail?"

The two Walkers stared at his stamp. "That stamp… I can't believe I didn't notice it until now," Takashi murmured.

"Fairy Tail, the most famous guild in Fiore. Does that mean that you're the Salamander?" Hiroki asked.

Natsu nodded, grinning.

Hiroki smiled. "I knew there was something about you that was different."

Takashi considered this seriously. He knew how Fairy Tail was renowned for their destructiveness, especially the Salamander. And if Natsu was the Salamander, it gave them some hope to beating the Conquerors. However, considering the abilities of the Conquerors, like how they could control the weather and even the magic of the players in their 'game', it was still a risk to try fighting the Conquerors.

"I don't think that it's a good idea," Takashi said, causing Natsu and his brother to look at him.

"Why not?" Natsu asked, frowning.

"The Conquerors have a great advantage of controlling the weather and the magic of players in Katápa," Takashi explained. "No doubt you are a strong mage, and in usual circumstances you may be able to defeat them, but here, you might not be as strong as you usually are. The Conquerors can limit your power. Also, from what we know, there aren't any other mages in Katápa that we can rely on. That leaves us with a one versus two fight, putting us at a disadvantage."

"Hmm, that's true," Hiroki said, nodding in agreement.

Natsu crossed his arms. "Then are you saying that you're just going to stay here for the rest of your lives? Don't you want to go back to your world? Don't you want to see your friends and family again?"

Takashi tensed. He didn't expect Natsu to say such things, words that seemed to pierce his heart. Natsu was right, but surely there was another way out, without the need of fighting.

"I do want to go back," Takashi replied carefully. "I'm just saying that this might not be the best way."

* * *

The smoke was slowly clearing from the forest, and Cobra could see the open path that Natsu had taken. "He's definitely at that Walker's house." Cobra said.

"What are you planning to do now?" Erigor asked him.

"Natsu Dragneel is a threat to my rule of Katápa. He's not like other Walkers. He might attempt to burn down everything here just to find a way out. We need to get rid of him." Cobra replied, a hint of anger in his voice.

He wrote a note, and Erigor read it quickly before asking, "Are you sure?"

Cobra turned to face Erigor. "There's a change of plans. Looks like the meeting between Natsu Dragneel and his friend will take place sooner than I expected."

Erigor kept his doubts to himself. He was sure that even if he voiced them, Cobra would just ignore them.

"Servant," Cobra said stiffly.

"Yes, Master," Happy said, walking towards him.

"Drop this on top of the entrance of that cottage," Cobra instructed, pointing to the cottage nearest to the forest. "Do not let yourself be seen."

Happy took the note and nodded before flying away.

* * *

Back in the cottage, the three Walkers decided to pause the discussion. Natsu sulked around, hating how he had to sit down and do nothing. He really wanted to teach the Conquerors a lesson. He stared out of the window, sighing. Suddenly, he saw a piece of paper floating down from the sky.

_Another note? _Natsu stood up from the chair abruptly, startling Takashi and Hiroki.

"What's wrong, Natsu?" Hiroki asked.

Natsu headed towards the door without answering. _The Conquerors must have sent the note, _he thought. _I wonder what they want… _

The other two Walkers looked at each other and shrugged, then following Natsu out of the door.

Outside the cottage, Natsu looked around before picking up the note, with Takashi and Hiroki behind him.

_Natsu Dragneel,_

_You have a second chance to return to your world. However, a sacrifice will have to be made. If you wish to take this chance, go to the pine forest._

"A second chance?" Natsu asked, looking bewildered. He stared at Takashi and Hiroki. "Do you think I should try it?"

Takashi and Hiroki looked at each other, unsure.

"A second chance has been unheard of. You are the first," Hiroki said slowly. "The note says that a sacrifice will be made if you take this chance. You have to consider this seriously."

"What sacrifice could I make?" Natsu was puzzled. "I don't have anything with me."

Takashi looked grim. "The Conquerors know everything around here. They must know something we don't."

"Something we don't?" Natsu echoed. He frowned, trying to think.

"What I mean is, maybe someone entered the Mirror with the Conquerors being the only ones who know."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

YamadaHikari: How is it? I'm hoping I didn't mess up this chapter. Anyway, review please! :)


	11. Chapter 11: The Fight

YamadaHikari: Sorry for the late update. Had to study for exams recently. Anyway, thank you my dear reviewers, **KH-Hardcorefan4483**, **Yorokobi Asahi**, and **Kudai Kage**! And thank you **Ziaw**, my beta-reader!

**DISCLAIMER: **

Master: *hic* Yamada *hic* Hikari does not *hic* own Fairy Tail.

Lucy: What happened to Master?

Gray: This is what happens when someone challenges Cana to a drinking contest.

*In the background* Cana: Mira! More beer!

Lucy: Sigh… Master should have known better. Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Fight**

"What do you mean by that?" Natsu demanded. "Do you know something?"

Takashi was taken aback by the dragon slayer's sudden change of tone. "No, I don't. But the Conquerors are always hiding things from us Walkers, only telling us things that they want us to know. They're preventing us from knowing the truth."

Natsu relaxed a little.

"Before you decide whether you're going, we'll need a plan," Hiroki said. "You'll never know what the Conquerors are planning."

"Plus, I think that it's a trap," Takashi commented. "The Conquerors aren't nice people who will allow easy passage to people."

"No matter what, I think I should just go. I might get to see the Conquerors, and if that happens, I'll get some answers from them." Natsu decided.

Takashi looked at Hiroki, who gave him a look which he understood as letting Natsu do as he wanted. Takashi turned to Natsu and sighed. He knew that Natsu wouldn't change his mind.

"OK then," he said.

"Oi, Conquerors! Show yourselves!" Natsu shouted.

"I don't think they'll show up," Hiroki said.

"Wait," Natsu whispered, looking around sharply. "Something's coming."

There was a rustling sound coming from the bushes and swishing sounds all around the area. Suddenly the forest seemed to be spinning around. Natsu made himself focus. _Anytime, now… _He ignited his hands with his flames, ready to attack once his enemy appeared.

Natsu caught sight of something flying, but it was too fast for him to identify what it was. It was flying around him, encircling him, getting closer and closer. Natsu positioned himself, trying to predict when the enemy will strike.

"Fire Dragon's—" Natsu was cut off when he realised who his enemy was. Flying in front of him was a blue cat, its eyes dark and bleak. "Happy…" he gasped.

* * *

**Fairy Tail**

It was a new day in Magnolia. Lucy arrived at the guild to see many worried faces. It was more crowded than the previous day, with the addition of Wendy Marvell and her Exceed Carla.

"N-Natsu's still in the mirror, isn't he?" Lucy asked.

Mirajane nodded sadly. "Yes, he is."

"And Happy?"

Lucy was met with downcast looks. Then Erza finally broke the silence. "He's not here or home. We think… that he entered the mirror as well."

"Even Happy?" Lucy asked wearily. She was tired. She couldn't sleep a wink after what happened to Natsu and Happy's disappearance. At first she thought it was just Natsu, but now…

"Lucy-san, don't worry. I'm sure Natsu-san will be fine," Wendy spoke up.

Lucy forced a smile. "Yes, I'm sure he is." But deep in her heart, she knew, he wasn't.

* * *

**Katápa**

Natsu's flames died away. The dragon slayer stood dumbfounded. "Happy… What are you doing here?"

The Exceed didn't answer, giving an evil grin, similar to the Cheshire cat's.

Natsu gulped. He knew that Happy wasn't himself. He could tell from the Exceed's eyes that he was probably under someone's control. But who?

"I never thought I'll have to show myself."

Natsu turned to see the speaker. It was a man he recognised, with tan skin, upward-styled maroon hair and piercing snake-like eyes. "Cobra…" he hissed.

The other man merely smirked in response.

"Don't forget about me," A tall, silver-haired man appeared, a scythe in hand.

"Erigor," Natsu's eyes narrowed. Were Cobra and Erigor the Conquerors? How did they enter the Mirror?

"Natsu Dragneel. For threatening my rule to Katápa, you will be punished," Cobra said.

Natsu ignited his flames again. "Who's the one to be punished?"

"I won't be too sure about that, Natsu Dragneel. Have you forgotten about your little friend?" Erigor asked, pointing to Happy.

"What do you want with Happy?" Natsu growled.

Happy flew in front of Cobra and Erigor, as if wanting to protect them.

"If you want to fight us, you'll have to get through the Servant. Will you bear to hurt your little friend?" Cobra taunted.

Natsu gritted his teeth. Cobra and Erigor were being unreasonable. Who were they to use Happy against him? If Hiroki was right, all he had to do was to defeat them to get back to Fairy Tail. But with Happy blocking them, Natsu might hurt him by mistake. _So this is what they meant by 'sacrifice'? _

"Yes, it is," Cobra said, making the fire dragon slayer remember that the maroon-haired man could hear people's thoughts.

Natsu frowned. Cobra was a tricky opponent. Now that Happy was blocking Cobra and Erigor, Natsu had to do something about that before he could think of fighting them. The fire dragon slayer looked at Happy, who looked like he was staring into space. _Happy is under their control. I need to break that control first. _

The maroon-haired man smirked. "If that's what you think, I'll like to see you try."

_Argh, I can't let him know what I'm thinking! I have to think, but at the same time, I can't think! _The pink-haired wizard was getting frustrated. He had to get Happy to wake up from his daze, but how? He was sure that the spell cast on Happy was bound to wear off after a while, but who knows when? Natsu had to think fast, before Erigor and Cobra escaped. It didn't matter if Cobra could hear his thoughts; the dragon slayer was determined to get things done. Nobody should try to use his guild mates against him.

To be honest, the fire dragon slayer wasn't sure of what to do. Attacking was definitely not an option – Natsu would never want to hurt a guild mate, not even on accident.

Just then, he remembered when Lucy became invisible and nearly disappeared, her existence slowly being erased from the world. She only came back when Natsu remembered her. Maybe, just maybe, something similar could be used in this situation. No matter what, he had to give it a try.

"Happy," he started. The Exceed did not respond.

_I can't give up._ Natsu thought.

"Happy. Remember the time when we first met? That's when you hatched from the egg I found. And before that I always thought it was a dragon egg… Reedus even painted a picture with you as a dragon! Happy… you remember all our adventures right? It was so fun, even though we always got in trouble after that, with Erza shouting at us. Speaking of Erza, remember the Changling incident when we all switched bodies? I still remember that weird feeling of being inside Loke. And you were in Erza's body! It was so funny when you tried to requip!"

The dragon slayer noticed Happy twitch. _Was it working?_ He glanced at Cobra and saw a look of surprise on his face, quickly taken over by anger.

"You- what do you think you're doing?" Cobra demanded. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate, as if struggling to keep Happy under his control.

Natsu ignored him and continued. "And there's Lucy. Do you remember the first time we sneaked into her house? I won't ever forget the look on her face when she saw us! Although it really hurt when she kicked us to the wall… Her 'Lucy Kick' isn't to be laughed at!"

Suddenly there was a sound coming from the Exceed… was it laughter? The Exceed's eyes were slowly going back to normal, losing their bleakness. Happy blinked and started laughing. "I remember all that, Natsu! It was so funny!" It was a genuine laugh, not an evil one, and the dragon slayer knew that his plan had worked.

Cobra and Erigor were stunned. "H-How? How did you do that?" Cobra asked. "The spell wasn't supposed to be over so soon!"

Natsu looked at the two self-acclaimed 'Conquerors' seriously. "There are walls that power alone cannot break through... But if there is, it's the power of feelings."

"Feelings…" Erigor muttered.

"Still, you won't be going anywhere if you don't defeat us. Freeing your friend won't be much of a help," Cobra told Natsu.

"Don't be so sure of yourself!" Natsu grinned. He looked at Hiroki and Takashi. "You two should leave. It's dangerous." The two Walkers nodded and ran off. Natsu then turned to Happy and tilted his head slightly. The Exceed nodded.

"Fire Dragon's… Iron Fist!" The fire dragon slayer's fists were engulfed in fire. He ran towards the two self-acclaimed 'Conquerors' of Katápa, aiming for Erigor.

Erigor jumped, dodging out of the way. "Wind Wall!" he shouted. A giant tornado formed around the forest, cutting off any possible escape routes.

Natsu recognised this spell. Erigor had used it before, casting it around Oshibana Station to prevent him and his team from leaving the place. Natsu remembered that this spell had been exhausting for the Wind mage, having to wait for a while afterwards before intensively using his Wind Magic again. _Surely this means he won't be able to attack again soon. Here's our chance…_

"Too bad, that's not true," Cobra hissed.

"Magic Wind Palm!"

Natsu turned to see Erigor covering his hands in spiraling currents of wind and clapping them together, then moving them towards his target, his fingers slightly bent. Natsu jumped as a large, powerful vortex headed towards him. The attack possessed enough strength to destroy the area he was in just a moment ago. Erigor had improved.

_But not enough. _

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art… Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!" Natsu shouted. He rapidly punched Erigor, with his hands lit ablaze, creating a fiery explosion after each subsequent contact. This attack sent Erigor flying, then hitting the ground, his scythe sliding away from his grasp. This led the Wind Wall to disappear.

"Damn…" Erigor couldn't believe he was defeated by Natsu Dragneel again.

"Even if you call yourself a Conqueror here, the truth is, you never really improved much," Natsu commented.

Cobra smiled. "That might be true for him, but not me. Those silly tricks will never work on me."

"Bring it on," Natsu replied, a hint of challenge in his voice.

"Poison Dragon's Twin Fang!" Cobra moved his arms to form a cross. The generated poison split in numerous elongated, snake-shaped masses, all moving towards Natsu.

"Natsu!" Happy called. He carried Natsu and took off, occasionally swerving to avoid Cobra's attacks.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted. A large amount of flames were released from his mouth towards Cobra, but the poison dragon slayer avoided it, letting the fire engulf a few trees in his place.

"Too bad. I can hear you." Cobra taunted.

"We're not going to lose when it comes to teamwork!" Happy replied.

"Cubellios!" Cobra called.

"What? Where?" Natsu looked around, but it was too late. Cubellios, Cobra's pet snake, was suddenly much bigger than its usual size. It head-butted into Happy and Natsu, sending them crashing to a tree.

"You!" Natsu shouted angrily at the poison dragon slayer as Happy recovered from the attack, flying back into the sky. "I'll burn everything!"

Cobra sat on Cubellios' tail and was shot upwards as the purple snake swished its tail with great strength. He lay a punch on Natsu, who was pushed backwards, leaving a dizzy Happy.

"Sorry, Happy," Natsu told the Exceed.

"Aye," Happy replied, still dizzy from the impact.

"Now, Cubellios!" Cobra shouted. Cubellios was now in its serpent form, with bat-like wings to enable it to fly.

"It's in serpent form," Natsu whispered. "Let's go, Happy!"

"Charge straight towards him, make a right roundhouse kick, then make a comeback straight right. I thought you learned," Cobra commented while calmly avoiding Natsu's attacks. "Like I thought. You are stupid."

Suddenly Cobra froze. Natsu's thoughts were empty. Cobra couldn't hear a thing. This allowed the fire dragon slayer to lay a flaming punch on his opponent. But to the Natsu's horror, his hand started hurting. _It's his poison…_

"I can hear your pain. You forgot about the poison, didn't you? The attacks of a poison dragon can infect and destroy anything!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted.

"I can hear you!" Cobra taunted, dodging Natsu's attack again.

"Natsu, you were thinking again, weren't you? Thinking isn't like you, Natsu. Stop thinking!" Happy scolded.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Natsu shouted, exasperated. "Stop making fun of me!"

"Idiot. Don't forget about your opponent!" Cobra yelled. "Poison Dragon's Roar!"

"Happy! Quick!" Natsu called.

"A-aye," Happy replied, but he was too slow. His body was starting to ache. It was as if moving so much after being under the control of Cobra was too much for the Exceed. Natsu and Happy were both hit by Cobra's attack.

"For some reason… my body… isn't moving right…" Happy said.

"The breath of the poison dragon infects your entire body with a virus! It slowly steals your mobility and your life! Or have you forgotten, Old Generation?"

"You—" Natsu gritted his teeth.

"Natsu, I'm at my limit…" Happy whimpered.

"It's OK, Happy. Just drop me right on top of him." Natsu told him.

"But he can hear you," Happy argued.

"Don't worry," Natsu replied. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"Aye Sir," Happy said, dropping Natsu.

Cobra moved as Natsu tried to punch him. However, Natsu crashed into him and the poison dragon slayer lost his balance, falling from Cubellios.

"WE'RE FAAALLLLLLLLLLLL-" Natsu yelled.

Cobra twitched. Natsu's yell was starting to sound more like a roar, a dragon's roar. It was a nuisance to his senses. Cobra was starting to get a headache. _Why is he so loud? _Natsu's yell seemed to be never-ending to the other dragon slayer. It was more than a mere headache. Natsu's loud yell was really getting to him.

"—LING!" Natsu ended.

"My ears!" Cobra shouted as he fell to the ground. Happy came over and helped Natsu to land safely.

Natsu walked over to the poison dragon slayer. "All this while, you're the one who truly forgot about our previous fight. Now, you're defeated. Get everyone out of this world," Natsu told Cobra.

Cobra laughed hysterically before answering. "Did you really think that defeating me will get you out of here?"

Natsu glared at him. "What do you mean?" He demanded.

"Even I don't know how to get out of this world. That's why I gave up and decided to just rule this world. There's no escape. Katápa didn't get its name for nothing," Cobra sneered.

Natsu froze. Katápa was the Greek word for 'curse'. If Cobra wasn't lying, did it mean…?

"You'll never get out of this cursed land."

* * *

YamadaHikari: It's my first attempt to write a fighting scene. I hope I didn't mess up. I made Erigor's fight short on purpose because Cobra is the one with more authority. Hopefully I didn't add too many events for one chapter. Review please! :)


	12. Chapter 12: The Impending Danger

YamadaHikari: Thanks to those followed or added this story to their favourites. Thank you **Kudai Kage** and **JustPlainMemories **for your reviews! Thanks again **Ziaw **for beta-reading this! :)

**DISCLAIMER: **

Lucy: Today, Levy-chan will be doing the disclaimer!

Jet, Droy: Why aren't we invited? We're from the same team!

Erza: Stop messing around! *evil aura*

Jet, Droy: *pale and run off* A-aye, Sir!

Levy: YamadaHikari doesn't own FairyTail! Enjoy the story!

* * *

** Chapter 12: The Impending Danger**

"You'll never get out of this cursed land."

Cobra's words echoed in Natsu's mind. "T-This… this can't be!" he stuttered, horrified. _Was Hiroki wrong? Had he been lying? Or maybe… he didn't know, either?_ Natsu slowly walked away from Cobra, followed by Happy, leaving the poison dragon slayer lying on the ground. Right now, Cobra was not the enemy. Both of them were in the same situation, trapped in the cursed land of Katápa.

As the fire dragon slayer and Exceed walked towards the cottage, Takashi and Hiroki came out to greet him.

"How was it?" Hiroki asked, but his face fell when he saw Natsu's expression. "Let's go in first."

The four of them looked grim as they sat down at the dining table.

"It wasn't them," Natsu said, not looking up. "They don't know anything."

"I'm sorry," Hiroki said. "I didn't know."

"At least that removes the Conquerors out of the list of people to ask," Takashi said.

Happy cleared his throat. "Natsu," he prompted.

Natsu brightened. "Oh yes! I just realized that I forgot to introduce you guys! Happy, this is Hiroki and this is Cloak Boy!" Natsu said, pointing to each of them respectively.

"Eh? Cloak Boy? Is that your name?" Happy looked at Takashi curiously.

Takashi scowled. "Of course not." _Is this cat going to be a second Natsu? Besides, how is he able to talk?_

"So, Hiroki and Cloak Boy, this is Happy! He's my best friend." Natsu continued.

"Aye Sir!" Happy replied.

"Nice to meet you, Happy," Hiroki said.

"Well, not trying to be rude here, but how can you talk, Happy?" Takashi asked. He didn't want to be rude, but seriously, a talking cat?

Happy smiled. "Because I am a cat!"

_That doesn't answer my question at all… _Takashi face-palmed.

"I've always wanted to ask you this, Happy, but why did you end up here?" Natsu asked. "Why didn't you stay at the guild?"

"I wanted to send a message to you like Erza did," Happy explained, sniffling a bit. "I tried copying what she did, but when I put my paw onto the Mirror, I saw you in the mirror, standing beside a lake. After that… I don't quite remember what really happened, but I ended up entering the Mirror."

"You saw me in the Mirror…" Natsu said thoughtfully. "Just like I saw Igneel before entering this world…"

"Both of you entered the Mirror due to the same reason," Hiroki spoke up. "You came here looking for someone. The Mirror knew it, and showed you who you were looking for. That's what happened to most people here."

"The Mirror knew I was looking for Natsu? But I did exactly the same thing as Erza. Why didn't she enter the Mirror like we did?" Happy frowned.

"You didn't do exactly what she did. You only did what you saw. I'm sure that Titania was concentrating solely on wanting to _talk _to Natsu. You were probably thinking about wanting to _see_ Natsu. The Mirror could tell. That's why you're here, unlike Titania." Hiroki explained.

Happy squirmed. "I guess I was…"

"But how did you end up getting yourself involved with Cobra and Erigor?" Natsu implored.

"I don't know," Happy answered. "When I entered this world, I was chased by a black wolf, so I ran. Then I became hungry, so I ate the first thing I saw… a mushroom."

"A mushroom?" Natsu repeated.

"Aye, a mushroom. I can't remember what happened next…" Happy's usually cheerful face looked troubled.

"A Servant. That's what he became," Hiroki explained. "A Servant becomes under the control of the master, in this case, Cobra. As a Servant, Happy lost consciousness and became a puppet to Cobra. Undoing this spell is extremely difficult. I'm surprised you managed to do that."

"Cool… you sure know a lot about this world, Hiroki!" Happy told him cheerfully.

Hiroki glanced at Takashi before answering, "Well, I've been here for quite some time now."

"OK, back to the situation," Natsu continued in a business-like manner. "Happy, everyone who entered the Mirror is trapped in this world called Katápa. Until now, nobody knows how to get out. That's why I couldn't to get back to the guild. At first, we thought that by defeating the Conquerors, meaning Cobra and Erigor, we could go back, but it wasn't true. They don't know anything either."

"So, we're back to square one." Takashi commented.

"Who is the one in control here?" Happy wondered.

Natsu looked at Hiroki. "Hiroki, what do you think?"

Hiroki was deep in thought. "I'm not sure. But if it isn't the Conquerors, my only guess is… the Wanderer."

"The Wanderer was the one who opened the portal to this world?" Takashi asked. "But how can we even find him?"

"What do you mean?" Happy piped up.

"The Wanderer travels through different worlds alone. It is said that he can control time and space, but I don't know if that's true. This means that he could be in a different world and time from us. It's quite impossible to find him." Hiroki explained.

"There must be a way," Natsu said.

"But it might be just a wild goose chase like last time," Takashi argued.

"Let's leave this discussion for later," Hiroki decided.

Natsu gave him a mischievous grin. "That's good…. because I'm hungry."

"ALREADY?" Takashi exclaimed.

He really wondered how the wizards of Fairy Tail could stand him.

* * *

_Just how much can this person eat? _Takashi wondered, watching the fire dragon slayer engulf the fire.

"I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaimed.

Shaking his head, the black-haired teenager left the cottage silently to take a walk. Natsu's previous rampage left the forest unrecognisable. Only ash remained from the once dense forest. As Takashi walked, he looked up to the sky. The sky was no longer cloudy as it had been a while ago. It had already darkened, decorated with countless twinkling stars. It was a lovely sight, but it only made Takashi sigh. If only he was back in his own world, his own country now.

Just then, Takashi saw something he never imagined he'll ever see. Despite the darkness, he was sure he saw it. A gigantic creature, encircling around the sky.

_Impossible! They're supposed to be extinct! _Yet, he couldn't help but feel intrigued at the rare sight.

The figure stopped encircling the sky. It let out a loud roar, and started plunging towards the spot where Takashi was standing. Sheer terror could be seen in the teenager's eyes as he stood rooted to the spot.

For flying right towards him, was a humongous black dragon.

"Cloak Boy!" Happy called, with Natsu and Hiroki running behind him.

"Duck!" Natsu shouted.

Takashi quickly bent down, covering his head with his arms and waited for the impact.

But it never came.

Instead, the black dragon could be seen slamming into a pink barrier that resembled a rune. It looked like the dragon was attempting to enter the area but ended up failing every time. Finally, it gave a loud roar, turned around and left.

Takashi watched as the dragon flew away. "W-what was that?" he whispered.

"Cloak Boy, are you OK?" Happy asked.

Takashi nodded. Inside, he was trembling, but he wouldn't show it.

"We came over as soon as Natsu said he sensed a dragon," Hiroki explained.

Takashi looked at Natsu, who was still staring at the dark sky, even though the dragon had long gone.

"A dragon…" he heard the dragon slayer murmur. "I wonder if he knows where Igneel is."

"Let's go back," Hiroki said, helping Takashi up.

"Thanks," the teenager said.

"Hey, did you all see that pink thing when the dragon was trying to come here? It looks like a rune to me. What do you think?" Happy asked as they were heading back.

Natsu nodded. "It does. It reminds me of Freed's runes, but slightly different."

"Hiroki, do you think that the rune is the one keeping us here?" Happy asked.

"It does seem logical," Hiroki replied. He glanced at Takashi, who looked away.

_If it's a rune, we're all trapped here. There's nothing we can do._

"It's too dark for us to do anything now. I say let's rest. Tomorrow could be a busy day." Hiroki suggested.

* * *

_-The next day-_

"I'm going fishing!" Takashi called as he headed out of the cottage, strolling to the lake, his fishing rod swung over his shoulder. The sun was shining and it looked like a beautiful day. However, the atmosphere didn't seem right to the teenager. Something was different.

As he approached the lake, he noticed a shiny fern-like green plant. It was a miracle that it survived Natsu's rampage in the forest. Yet as Takashi walked past it, the leaves shrivelled up, darkening quickly. Alas, something was definitely wrong. There was probably something or someone at the lake. Takashi continued his way quietly and cautiously, hoping not to attract any unnecessary attention.

Before he reached the lake, he had spotted the source of uncertainty. A large group of big, grey, furless creatures were gathered around the lake. Takashi had never seen such a huge group of such creatures in the same area. Though those creatures were generally harmless unless threatened, Takashi did not like the wild look in their eyes. It made them look angry and dangerous.

Takashi backed away slowly. Hiroki had warned him that the creature responded to quick, sharp movements. There was no way he could possibly get away if they spotted him. He wasn't Natsu; he couldn't fight them if he had to.

**Crack.**

Takashi felt like cursing out loud. To think that he stepped on a broken branch at such a critical time! No doubt, the creatures were bound to notice him now.

His fears were ascertained as the sight of numerous grey heads turning towards the source of the noise. Takashi backed away slowly, but it was no use. Who was he kidding? There was no place for him to hide. He was met with glowing green gazes of a huge herd of beasts. One of them let out a grunt and started moving towards him. There was nowhere for him to hide. There was only one thing to do now.

_Run, _he told himself. He quickened his pace, dashing towards the cottage. Takashi glanced back to check if the beasts were chasing him. There was nothing behind him, only the sight of an empty area that was once a forest. Even though he knew that, the teenager continued to run, not daring to slow down, until he reached the safety of the cottage.

"You're back," he heard Hiroki call out.

"Yes," he panted.

"Good morning!" Natsu called, stretching, with Happy behind him, stifling a yawn.

"What happened?" Hiroki asked the black-haired teenager.

"T-there's a huge herd of creatures, no, beasts, at the lake..." Takashi answered while trying to catch his breath.

"What beasts?" Natsu asked curiously.

"The grey ones without any fur," Takashi replied. "There's a wild look in their eyes, like they're angry. I've never seen so many of them in one place."

"So you ran all the way back here without catching anything?" Hiroki questioned.

"Yeah," Takashi nodded, embarrassed that he had indeed ran away like a frightened child.

"But why will they be angry?" Natsu asked, still sleepy.

"It might be about the fire Natsu caused. He burned their home. Of course they're angry," Takashi said.

"Hey! That's mean!" Natsu protested.

"But he's right," Happy added.

"Happy! You're supposed to help me!"

"I think that it could be something else," Hiroki said. "Maybe it's about the dragon from yesterday."

This caught everyone's attention. They quieted down and looked at the blond.

"The dragon?" Natsu echoed.

"Yes. I think that they all heard the dragon's roar. It might have been a distress signal."

"And because of that they decided to gang up and fight me?" Natsu asked incredulously.

Hiroki shrugged. "I don't know what they're thinking. But from now on, no one is to leave the cottage alone," he said firmly. "No one knows what might happen. Perhaps the dragon may return, this time finding a way to enter, or maybe the creatures at the lake will attack at the sight of us." He looked over at Takashi. "If you're going fishing, get someone to go with you."

"Leave it to me, Hiroki! I'll get rid of all those beasts in a moment!" Natsu exclaimed.

Takashi cringed at the thought of having the loud dragon slayer accompanying him fishing. "No way! Fighting the creatures will only make them angrier than they already are. We shouldn't mess with them."

"Then..." Hiroki turned to Happy. "What about you, Happy?"

The blue Exceed nodded excitedly. "Aye Sir!"

Takashi heaved a sigh of relief. Happy could carry him and take off to safety should they ever confront a strange creature without the need of fighting.

"Then, let's get going," he said, preparing to leave. "Come on, Happy!"

"Make sure you catch a lot of fish, Cloak Boy!" Natsu called.

"We will!" Happy replied cheerfully.

* * *

Takashi was glad for some company as he walked to the lake. He was secretly afraid that the beasts were still at the lake, though he would never admit it.

"Hey, Cloak Boy," Happy said as he hovered above him. "I don't see any strange beasts. Were you just imagining it just now?"

"Of course not!" Takashi said indignantly. "They were definitely here just now." _Are they hiding from something else? _ Takashi shuddered from the thought, and shook his head. _Calm down. There's nothing around other than us. _

He settled down at his favorite fishing spot, preparing for his catch. Happy sat down beside him excitedly. He was a cat after all.

After a few minutes of waiting, Takashi felt a tug on his fishing line. _How lucky, _he thought, smiling._ It usually takes much longer than this. _He quickly drew it in, but the fish was resisting. It was strange. What kind of fish had the strength to put up such a resistance? Takashi stood up and pulled the rod with all his might. Happy got up to help him; he wanted his breakfast badly and didn't want to lose the fish. _What a tough one… _With one final tug, Takashi and Happy fell backwards, still gripping the precious fishing pole with their hands (or paws in Happy's case).

"Ouch," the Exceed said.

"At least we finally got it," Takashi grinned. He looked up and was shocked to see his catch. Yet, it was wrong to call it his catch. It wasn't that the fish stopped resisting. It just decided to show itself.

It wasn't a normal fish. It was like a monster, even bigger than an elephant. It had yellowish-green scales and stared hungrily at Takashi and Happy with huge orange eyes. Takashi gulped. They hadn't caught something to eat. Instead, they fished some monster who wanted them as _prey._

* * *

YamadaHikari: Hope you liked this chapter! Please review, it really motivates me! :)


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